Thursday, September 26, 2013

Mission –Moving from inreach to outreach

Life Anglican Church -Riverstone

Our Mission

The majority of people in our world have no idea about their need for God or how to deal with the sin that separates them from God.

In our world today people live and die without hope.

It is estimated that 95 percent of the current Australian population is lost without Christ.

“All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:18-20).

Two important promises:

We will have His power.

We will have His presence.

Moving Toward Spiritual Dialogue

Jesus was intentional in His approach.

Look for Opportunities

Make Opportunities

Search for common areas of interest.

Listen for what the person already knows about spiritualmatters.

Discover details about a person’s churchbackground.

Let your friend talk.

Ask open-ended questions.

Let people tell their stories.

When Making a Home Visit

Look for clues about the family when you arrive.

Identify yourself as being from your church.

Make sure you know the fullname of the person.

Expressinterest in the things important to the person.

As often as possible and appropriate, call persons byname.

USE Your Testimony of Conversion

Your evangelisticPreconversion experience:

Select a time in your life that illustrates what it was like without the assurance of heaven.

Be as specific as possible.Keep this part of the story to oneminute or less.

Your Conversion experience:

You may want to use the statement “Ihadalife-changingexperience” to describe your conversion.

The purpose is to create a desire in the person to know how to have heaven.

Ask A Key Question

You are seeking to find a way to introduce discussion about Jesus.

The Key Question

In your personal opinion, what do you understand it takes for a person to go to heaven and have eternal life?

Could one reason we have difficulty sharing Jesus with others be that we have lost our love for Him?

F Is for ForgivenessEveryone has sinned and needs God’s forgiveness.

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Romans 3:23

God’s forgiveness is in Jesus only.

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace.”

Ephesians 1:7

All humanity was created to be in relationship with God.We are separated from God by sin.

By using the word forgiveness for the letter F, you have the opportunity to remind people of their need for forgiveness and to establish the fact that only God can provide it.

No one can obtain that standard and is therefore already a condemned person.

Sin results in broken fellowship with God.Anything that disturbs, distorts, or breaks this fellowship is sin.

God’s Forgiveness Is in Jesus Only

Forgiveness is based on the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for our sins when He died on the cross.

A Is for Available

God’s forgiveness is available for all.

“God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

God’s Forgiveness Is Not Automatic

God’s forgiveness is available but not automatic.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord!’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 7:21

I Is for Impossible

According to the Bible, it is impossible to get to heaven on our own.

“By grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift—not from works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9

Because of who God isBecause of who we are

T Is for Turn

Question: If you were going down the road and someone asked you to turn, what would he or she be asking you to do?

Turn means repent. Turn away from sin and self.

“Unless you repent, you will all perish as well!” Luke 13:3

Turn to Jesus alone as your Savior and Lord.

“I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6

Our choice is a simple one: we can keep trusting ourselves and living the way we are living, or we can give our lives to Christ and begin to follow Him.

H Is for Heaven

Heaven is a place where we will live with God forever.

“If I go away and prepare a place for you, I will come back and receive you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also.”

John 14:3

Heaven is the epitome of beauty, glory, and joy.It is best understood as the place where God’s holypresence dwells.

Heaven is the future home of believers.

The Reality of Hell

Hell is a literalplace. It is described as a place of constant fire and torment.

Enjoying a Bit of Heaven Now

Eternal life begins now with Jesus.

“I have come that they may have life and have it in abundance.” John 10:10

How? Making the Transition

The letter H can also stand for how—how God took the initiative to save us through the death of His Son, Jesus, and how a person can have God’s forgiveness and eternallife in heaven.

How can a person have God’s forgiveness, eternal life, and heaven?ASK

Understanding what we have shared, would you like to receive this forgiveness by trusting in Christ as your personal Savior and Lord?

With this question the conversation moves into the Invitation—when someone has the opportunity to receive personally the truth you have shared.

The Invitation

Inquire

Understanding what we have shared, would you like to receive this forgiveness by trusting in Christ as your personal Savior and Lord?

InviteInsure

Leading to a Response

“Is that something you would like to do?”

“Have you ever thought about making this kind of commitment?”

Let the person respond.Ask God to help you know what to do next.

Do not rush them or appear pushy.At times it may be necessary to continue the conversation on another day.

Continue to depend on the HolySpirit, listening to Him every step of the way as you share.

Leading someone to pray a prayer of salvation becomes a meaningful expression of that person’s decision to accept God’s offer of forgiveness and salvation and to begin following Christ.